So your buddies are ready to pile into the family-sized RV for that spring break trip you’ve been planning since the darkest winter days. You on the other hand, are not quite as thrilled about hopping into the gas-guzzling beach transporter. At the same time, you don’t want to spoil the vacation by opting out. You’re in quite the predicament: your travel plans are pitted against your environmental ethics, and there seems to be no way around choosing one while sacrificing the other.

Before making the decision, be aware that there are solar RV products tailored to offset your trip’s emissions and circumvent the moral showdown within by making sure every appliance used in your RV is solar powered.

For example, AM Solar has a slew of products for all sizes of RV’s, from solar panels to charge controllers to inverters. AM Solar’s AM 100 Solar Panel is made up of 44 high-efficiency mono-crystalline cells. It’s 21.25″ in width and weighs 20.5 lbs.  — six to 12 lbs. lighter than other models. (AM Solar claims that its panel is one of the lightest on the market, but keep reading below for others that are nearly 8 lbs. lighter.)

To maximize the performance of AM Solar’s panels, you’ll need to buy one of the company’s charge controllers. When you combine the two products you can expect to see a 35-65 percent boost in operation, meaning that if you don’t buy the controller, your operation potential is cut significantly.

If you’re new to solar-powered products, RV Solar Electric dedicates a portion of its website to educate customer about the benefits of solar RV products. After class, you can click over to their products page and find their complete RV solar system kit, which includes:

  • Solar Panel
  • LED Solar Regulator
  • Wiring
  • Fuse and Roof Sealer
  • Mounting Brackets
  • Installation Manual
  • 25-year Warranty

RV Solar Electric offers three sizes of kits: 50 watts, 80 watts and 120 watts, with the smallest weighing 12 lbs. and the largest weighing 35 lbs.

When trying to snag a smaller, economical solar option before you hit the road, check out Silicon Solar’s 15-watt RV panel. This DIY kit allows you to install the solar panel just embarking on your trip. The panel comes with an aluminum mounting frame, battery cables and a battery discharge prevention circuit. Trouble deciding if the panel’s size fits your needs? Silicon Solar’s website gives you easy steps to figure out how many watts you need to fulfill your energy needs.

The main draw of all these products is that they enable you to operate with a degree of autonomy. If there sun is shining and your electricity demand is moderate, you’ll have a third option beyond plugging into the RV park’s electrical grid or running the engine or a generator: soak up the sun.